Bedstead



`.UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

BENJ. HINKLEY, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

BEDSTEAD.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 13,909, dated December 11, 1855.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN HINKLEY, of Troy, in the county of Rensselaer, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bedsteads; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing's, making a part of this speciiication, in which- Figure 1 is an isometrical projection; Fig. 2 a vertical section through L L in Fig. l; and Fig. 3 a vertical longitudinal section of the side rail, showing more clearly its mode of support and manner of attachment to the end boards.

The same letters and figures refer to like parts in each of the figures.

My improvements relate, iirst, to the means employed to supportthe body or frame of a bedstead, and second, to the man- Y' ner of fastening the end boards and side rails together.

The nature of my improvementin supports for the bodies of bedsteads, consists in making the side rails, near their extremities, to rest upon four blocks, placed on the ends of an X shaped spring, formed of single or compound elastic strips or bars of wood or metal, placed horizontally and diagonally across the space just beneath the under side of the frame or body, which spring, at its center, or place where the elastic strips intersect or cross each other, rests upon a short pillar whose base stands upon the middle of another similar X shaped spring, also in a horizontal position and perpendicularly beneath the rst and near, but supported above the floor on feet or casters put under its ends. The springs and pillar are firmly secured together in the positions above described, by a screw-bolt with washer plates and nuts, and the rails, blocks and ends of the springs, held together by a pin passing through them, thus, all together, forming a compound spring-beam support for the body of a'bed stead, on which persons in health recline with more comfort, and invalide rest with less annoyance and greater ease than upon ordinary bedsteads.

The nature of my improved mode of fastening the end boards and side rails to gether consists in the employment of a metallic casting with two parallel jaws proj ecting horizontally; said casting is first secured to the end board, and then the end of the thin rail inserted between the jaws, and rctained by a pin or screws through the jaws and through or into the intervening rail.

The construction is as follows: S, S are the side boards, and H, II the end boards. These may be held together by any conven ientknown means as, for example, by the steady pins m, m, Fig. l, hook 7c and staple S.

G, Gr, G are slats to hold the bedding. These slats rest at their ends upon the thin side rails D, D and are kept in place in any known manner, as by the pins p, p in G resting within the notches g, g, in the rail.

I make the four castings I, I, I, I, of iron or other suitable metal, and fasten them firmly to the end boards by bolts or woodscrews, y', y', j, y', &c. I insert the ends of the rails D, D, between the jaws z', z', z', Fig. 3 and secure them by the pins or bolts h, la, passing through the jaws and rail.

E, E, E, E are four feet on which I place the X shaped spring B B, in the manner made clear by Fig. 2.

F is the block or pillar that I stand on the middle of the top of the spring B B.

A A is the other X shaped spring similar to B B, which I place upon the top of the pillar F and perpendicularly over B B. I make the springs A A and B B, of straight grained elastic wood and of such size as both to secure the desired strength and elasticity, each diagonal strip or bar A or A, B or B, consisting of single pieces of the material halved together at their place of intersection, or I make the said springs A A and B B, of two lighter formed springs, l 1 and 2 2, and place one of these semi-springs immediately upon the top of the other, as seen in Fig. 2 and by the dotted lines a a.

Z is the boltwith a thread cut on both nds, which bolt I put through A A, F and and are plate washers of metal, large enough to cover the joints made by the meeting of the diagonal strips, so that when the nuts 0, c on the ends of the bolt cl are screwed up tight, the springs and pillar will be firmly secured together.

IVhen desirable, I make the springs A A and B B of strips of elastic metal, as steel,

and the pillar F of metal, as cast iron, still combining them in the manner above described. I next put t-he blocks O, O, C, C upon the ends of the spring A A, and place the side rails D, D, (they being previously attached to t-he end boards) upon these blocks and retain them in their places by slipping the pins f, f, f, f,- into the holes g, g, g, g, through the ends of the spring, the block, and rail, thus completing the construction of a genteel bedstead, or one for invalids, with less cost than has been done before, and in a most substantial manner.

It Will thus be seen that I have a highly ornamental bedstead and one which is proof against bugs for they not only Would have a long distance to travel from the feet of the stand to the bed clothes, but may be completely intercepted on their march by putting around the pedestal any of the usual means for preventing vermin from ascend- 'Ihe cross bars Whether springs or not for the support of a bedstead frame, when the same are mounted upon a pedestal and stand as herein set forth.

BENJA. HINKLE Y.

lVitnesses I. L. BARNEY, AUSTIN F. PARK. 

